Floral rack



C. J. WHITE Aug. 21, 1951 FLORAL RACK Filed May 8, 1950 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 21, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENTv OFFICE FLORAL RACK Clarence J.` White, Peoria, Ill.

Application May' 8, 1950, Serial No. 160,622

10. Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in floral racks of the collapsible type now much used for the display of floral pieces. theinvention pertains to means for automatically` swinging the prongs of a collapsible oral rack to open or closed positions.

In such racks as illustrated, for example, in U. S. Patent No. 2,115,693, issued me on April 26, 1938-, a series of` prongs are pivotally supported on a lazy-tongs structure which forms the face of the rack, these prongs being swung to closed positions adjacent said face of the rack byy special operating means separate from the lazy-tongs, said prongs by gravity moving to open positions when released by said operating means.

The. present invention, while mounting the prongs pivotally on the lazy-tongs as before, has as its object, and by contrast,y the provision of operating means also onl the lazy tongs by which to both. positively open and close said prongs, saidv means alsopermanently holding the prongs against sidewise tilting withouty respect. to the positions of swing of the members of said lazytongs relative to each other.

To further distinguish from known rack structure where the prongs are pivoted to a lazy-tongs and are controlled by means separate from the latter, it is to be stated that the prongs in the present instance are operated by the crossed members of the lazy-tongs' themselves in the f.

swinging' movements thereof.

In order that theinvention maybe fully understood in all of its details, the appended drawing is provided forming part hereof.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a part of a collapsible 'oral rack showing prongs thereon according. to myY invention.

Figs; 2 and 3 are front elevations of parts of two lazy-tongs; members in two differentv positions of spread, a prong included in my invention being shown in each.

Fig. 4 is-a side elevation of the parts illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 but with parts thereof overlying andI aligned with each` other, a nger or prong thereon lying in close relation thereto.

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section of the invention as illustrated in Fig. 4, but much enlarged.

Fig. 6A shows in perspective part of a pivotA member illustrated in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal transverse section of the structure of Fig. 54 produced on the same scale.

Fig. 8 is a plan or face view of' a cam plate entering into the invention produced on the same scale as Figs. 5 and 7.

More particularly (Cl. 24S-2128)' Fig. 9' is a perspective view of the cam plate shown in Fig. 8, a portion of the cam plate being broken away to show the position of a pin on the back thereof;

Fig. 10 is a plan or face view of a plate involved in the structure ofv the foregoing gures.

Figs. I1 and 112 are elevations oi" two lazy-tong members in different positions of adjustment together with a certain operating member, Fig. 11 being produced on line H of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 13 is an elevation of' a pair of lazy-tong members separate from other' parts, this figure showing certain apertures and their relations to each other.

In accordance with the. invention, the floral display prongs are actuated between open and closed position by expansion and contraction of the lazy-tongs. of the rack, the prongsy being wholly supported byl the members of the lazytongs; It is to be understood that: the parts in all of the figures of' the drawing, except Figs. 4, 5, 6, '7, and 9, are shown as they appear in viewing the rack from the front. thereof. Reference numerals l and 2 indicate a front and rear bar, respectively, of the rack, these being pivotally mounted to swing across each other in the well known manner.

At their points of crossing, the bars', l and 2 receive a member answering as a pivot pin upon which the bars may rock, said member comprising a head 3 having a slot 4 in the outer face thereof, a cylindrical portion 5 extending from its, opposite face and terminating in a threaded stem 6 ofV reduced diameter. As shown in Fig. 6 the portion 5 at the root of the said stem is reduced at opposite sides forming a ilat portion 1 substantially equal to the diameter ofthe said stem E and thus providing shoulders 8. In passing, it is to be said' that as to the head 3., the named slot 4 is of a depth, only, as to leave a wall 3' appearing in Figs. 5- andv 7' from which the said portion 5 extends. A cavity 9 opens through said wall 3 and into the said portion 5 within which lies an expansibl'e` coil spring l0.. Lying Within the slot 4 is one end of a floral piece supporting prong Il, a pin l2 extending through the head and prong serving as a pivot for the latter, thev said spring bottoming in both the cavity 9 and said prong. Thus, the prong H may pivot.

about the pin l2 from a position parallel with the plane of the front bar I outwardly to an extended position, the latter position being indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5. The spring l0 normally urges the prong to its outward. position. During the pivotal motion of the: prong, the prong is prevented from tilting from side to side relative to the head 3, since the pin I2 is securely mounted in the head 3.

In Figs. 8 and 9 a cam-plate I3 is illustrated, which as shown in Figs. and 7 abut the wall 3 of the head 3, as permitted by a central' hole I3 of said plate to receive the portion 5 through it. This said plate I3 carries a cam I4 at one face thereof, which as shown in Fig. 5 is in position to receive the heel of the prong I I upon it. Extending from the opposite face of the cam-plate is a pin I5 which enters an aperture I' of the bar I, Fig. 13, and as shown in Fig. 7, which bar by a hole I2 slips over the portion 5 and abuts the cam-plate I3.

Next in progression along and upon the mem.- ber 3, 5, 6, following the bar I, is a member in the form o-f a slotted plate I6 shown in Figs. 4, 5, 11, and 12. In the latter two figures this plate is shown in position between the front and rear bars I and 2, respectively. It is observed that said plate I6 has a slot I'I therethrough extending the greater part of its diameter measured in one direction, while at each side of said slot is a shorter slot I8 and I9, respectively, extending radially at right angles to said slot I'I and approximately at the middle of the said greatest diameter of the plate.

In Fig. 5 it will be noted that the flat portion 1 is positioned within the slot I1 of the said plate I6, the slot I'I having such that the plate is prevented from rotating about said fiat portion but may shift laterally thereon.

It will also be noted that the combined thickness of the cam-plate, bar I, and plate I6, equals the distance from the head 3 to the outer surface of the flat portion 1 at the root of the threaded stem 6, and that the bar I may rock on the portion 5, though the plate I 6 cannot rock or rotate, but can only shift in a lateral direction.

The bar 2, Fig. 13, is provided with a hole 2 near a longitudinal edge thereof, and also has a hole 22 at at its center and which centers with the hole I2 of the bar I as shown, but is of a smaller diameter to receive the threaded stem Ii,`

the bar 2 being positioned on the latter to abut the slotted plate I6, and abutting the end of the flat portion 1, being free to rock on said stem. Placed upon the stem, also, to follow said bar 2 is a plate 20 shown in Fig. 10. This plate has a central hole 20 to receive through it the said stem 6, and 'also having a pin 202 near its edge and extending from one side thereof, see Fig. 7, designed to engage in the hole 2 of the bar 2 and also to engage lin the slot I9 of the plate I6. It is equally true that the pin I5 of the camplate I3 extends through the hole I of the bar I and into the slot I8 of the plate I6, the pins I5 and 202 lying at opposite sides of the portion 5 and the said stem 6 as shown in Fig. 7. Thus, the pins answer as linkage between the bars I and 2 and the plate I6.

Finally, a washer 2| may be slipped upon the shank 6 against the plate 2li followed, for eX- ample, by a lock-washer 22 and a nut 23 to complete the assembly. The operation of the assembly just described is such that, whether the lazy-tongs is collapsed, with the bars I and 2 thereof aligned, as seen inr Fig. 12, or expanded, with the bars I and 2 rocked out of alignment, as seen in Figs. 1 and 11, the prong II will not be tilted sidewise. To insure this result the slotted plate I 6 is provided together with the pinsl I5 and 202 of the bars I Aand 2, respectively.

'As already stated, the said plate I6 cannOT 4 rotate because the slot I'I thereof is engaged over the iiat portion 1, and the slot II therein at all times parallels the longest measurement of said prong II since the flattened portion I parallels the latter as a part of the slotted head 3.

The said pins I5 and 282 lie at opposite sides of the axis of the pivot pin comprising portions 5 and 6 and are equally spaced therefrom, being so placed on the bars carrying them that, in the swing of said bars about said center, they move in unison through equal arcs. When the bars are aligned with each other, as in Fig. 12, the pins I5 and 202 are at their lowest position with respect to the pivot pin, and lie below the same, the plate I6 also being at its lowest position as permitted by the slot I1, the prong being closed. As the bars are spread, however, as in Fig. 11, the pins thereof lie in the higher position in respect to the said unit portion. Since moving in unison the same distance at all times, the plate being non-rotatable, the prong I I must hold the same relation as that of said plate, said prong at this time being open, or widely spaced outwardly from the bars.

The spring III is always under compression and moves the prong away from the planes of the bars I, when the latter are spread as in Fig. 3, at which time the cam I4 has been moved from beneath the heel of the prong. In Figs. 2 and 5, Where the cam lies beneath the heel of the prong, the prong is closed toward the bars placing the spring, incidentally, under greater compression.

The plate I6, the cam-plate I3, and the plate 20 together may be termed a linkage as the partsing means is wholly within and of the lazy-tongs itself.

I claim: 1. In combination, a pair of bars of a floral rackv crossed upon each other, a member serving as a pivot for said bars at the place of crossing there-- of, a prong pivoted on said member transversely thereof, said prong being swingable therewith. and adapted to swing in a plane perpendicular.

to the planes of swing of said bars, a second member operatively engaging the first member and held from rotating with respect thereto,

while shiftable laterally with respect to said member in a direction paralleling the longest measurement of the said prong, and two link-. ages having positions between and engaging saidv bars and said second member, the engagement of the linkages with the bars being spaced at opposite sides of the pivotal point of the same, and their engagement with said second member being placed at opposite sides of the longest axis of said first member, the said arms in their swingv relative to each other adapted through said linkages to impart lateral shift to said second member.

2. The combination with two crossed bars of a collapsible oral rack and a member extending- -through both bars at their places of crossing, and

upon and about which said bars swing in parallel. planes, and a prong pivoted onthe member to.l swing in a plane at right angles IIO the planes of tongs type oral rack crossed one upon the other; a pivot pin having a head and a shank, said shank extending through said bars at their point of crossing and having a ilattened portion positioned between said bars; a member positioned between said bars, said member having an elongated slot thereacross and a pair of slots located one on each side of and at right angles to said elongated slot, said elongated slot embracing the flattened portion of said pivot pin to prevent relative rotation between said member and said pivot pin; a pair of linkage pins each extending through one of said bars on one side of said pivot pin and engaging in one of said pair of slots, whereby rocking motion of said bars about said pivot pin is converted to linear motion of said member on the flattened portion of said pivot pin; a floral piece supporting prong pivoted to the head of said pivot pin to swing in a plane at right angles to the planes of swing of said bars, said prong having a heel portion extending beyond the pivot point between said prong and said head, and a cam member mounted on said pivotl pin for rotation thereabout, said cam member being connected to one of said linkage pins and having its cam face arranged for engagement under the heel of said prong, during rocking motion of said bars as the rack is collapsed, to pivot said prong into retracted position.

l0. In combination, a pair of bars of a lazytongs type floral rack crossed one upon the other; a pivot pin having a head and a shank, said shank extending through said bars at their point of crossing and having a attened portion positioned between said bars; a member positioned between said bars, said member having an elongated slot thereacross and a pair of slots located one on each side of and at right angles to said elongated slot, said elongated -slot embracing the attened portion of said pivot pin to prevent relative rotation between said member and said pivot pin; a pair of linkage pins each extending through one of said bars on one side of said pivot pin and engaging in one of said pair of slots, whereby rocking motion of said bars about said pivot pin is converted to sliding motion of said member on the attened portion of said pivot pin; a oral piece supporting prong pivoted to the head of said pivot pin to swing in a plane at right angles to the planes of swing of said bars, said prong having a heel portion extending beyond the pivot point between said prong and said head, and a disc carried by said pivot pin between said head and the adjacent one of said bars and being free to rotate about said pivot pin, said disc being connected to one of said linkage pins and having a cam face arranged for engagement under the heel of said prong, during rocking motion of said bars as the rack is collapsed, to pivot said prong into retracted position.

CLARENCE J. WHITE.

No references cited. 

